Deliberations and evaluations of the approaches, endpoints and paradigms for magnesium dietary recommendations

The working group on magnesium considered a number of issues relevant to establishing allowances and to providing other pertinent information on this ion for the next edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). An accurate and specific marker for assessing the importance of magnesium nutriture in health and disease remains to be identified. Thus, it is unknown whether marginal magnesium depletion results in a disease. Although it is apparent that abnormal serum concentrations are unusual and obvious signs of acute depletion of magnesium are absent in the U.S. populace, one cannot assume that the associated cellular and intracellular pool sizes are optimal for health. There is a need for systematic studies of these and other parameters in healthy individuals with controlled intakes and during depletion. To address the question of how magnesium allowances should be set, previous editions of the RDA that included magnesium were reviewed; this review indicated the need for the adoption of objective criteria for acceptance of published balance studies and the inclusion in the discussion of an analysis of the balance studies and the specific calculations used in establishing the RDA. Such criteria and evaluations should be placed in a technical addendum to allow readers to evaluate the data. It is recommended that future RDA Committees consider expressing metabolic balance data on a basis other than weight, e.g., energy expenditure, lean body mass or body cell mass. Claims that magnesium nutriture has a role in preventing or ameliorating chronic disease such as heart disease and hypertension need to be critically evaluated if they are to be used to set the next RDA. The pharmacologic effects of magnesium are significant and need to be recognized. Because excess oral magnesium can be toxic to persons with advanced renal disease, more attention should be given to this topic by future RDA Committees.